Time definition
Solar time, standard time.
A time for taking stock of one's life.
Time a runner.
He died before his time. Her time is near.
Three-quarter time.
Timed his swing so as to hit the ball squarely.
A time payment.
An example of time is the Renaissance era.
An example of time is breakfast at eight o'clock in the morning.
An example of time is a date at noon next Saturday.
Marching in double time.
A long time since the last war; passed the time reading.
Ran the course in a time just under four minutes.
Harvest time; time for bed.
A time release.
Checked her watch and recorded the time, 6:17 am .
Hard times; a time of troubles.
You must change with the times.
I have no time for golf.
Do you have time for a chat?
- The moment of death.His time is close at hand.
- The end of a period of pregnancy; moment of giving birth.Her time had come.
- One's turn at something.A time at bat.
Waltz time, march time.
Solar time.
Knocked three times; addressed Congress for the last time before retirement.
This tree is three times taller than that one. My library is many times smaller than hers.
Had a good time at the party.
Hired for full time.
Earned double time on Sundays.
Game time is two o'clock.
Now is the time to act.
A time of peace, have a good time.
The times were difficult.
- (uncountable) A quantity of availability of duration.More time is needed to complete the project. You had plenty of time, but you waited until the last minute. Are you finished yet? Time's up!.
- (countable) A measurement of a quantity of time; a numerical or general indication of a length of progression.A long time; Record the individual times for the processes in each batch. Only your best time is compared with the other competitors. The algorithm runs in O(n2) time.
- (uncountable, slang) The serving of a prison sentence.The judge leniently granted a sentence with no hard time. He is not living at home because he is doing time.
- (countable) An experience.We had a wonderful time at the party.
- (countable) An era; (with the, sometimes in plural) the current era, the current state of affairs.Roman times; the time of the dinosaurs.
- (uncountable, with possessive) A person's youth or young adulthood, as opposed to the present day.In my time, we respected our elders.
- (only in singular, sports and figuratively) Time out; temporary, limited suspension of play.
- (uncountable) How much of a day has passed; the moment, as indicated by a clock or similar device.Excuse me, have you got the time? What time is it, do you guess? Ten o'clock? A computer keeps time using a clock battery.
- (countable) A particular moment or hour; the appropriate moment or hour for something (especially with prepositional phrase or imperfect subjunctive).It's time for bed; it's time to sleep; we must wait for the right time; it's time we were going.
- (countable) A numerical indication of a particular moment.At what times do the trains arrive?; these times were erroneously converted between zones.
- (countable) An instance or occurrence.When was the last time we went out? I don't remember.See you another time; that's three times he's made the same mistake.Okay, but this is the last time. No more after that!.
- (UK, of pubs) Closing time.Last call: it's almost time.
- The hour of childbirth.
Let's synchronize our watches so we're not on different time.
Your car runs three times faster than mine; that is four times as heavy as this.
I used a stopwatch to time myself running around the block.
The President timed his speech badly, coinciding with the Super Bowl.
The bomb was timed to explode at 9:20 p.m.
Time a manufacturing process.
Time payments.
- A period of existence; lifetime.His time is almost over.
- A term of apprenticeship.
- A term of imprisonment.
- A term of military service.
- (obs.) A period of indenture.
To time an invasion.
Time the stock market.
The runner's time was 1.47 minutes; baking time, 20 minutes.
Told for the fifth time, time and time again.
Prehistoric times, medieval times, geologic time, Lincoln's time.
No time for play, to take some time to relax.
Quick time, double time.
Do you know the time?
To time one's watch with another's.
To time a runner.
A time bomb.
A time loan.
- With a quickly approaching time limit:Worked against time to deliver the manuscript before the deadline.
- Used to acknowledge an expression of gratitude.
- Simultaneously.
- At a period or moment in the past.
- However; nonetheless.
- On occasion; sometimes.
- Out-of-date; old-fashioned.
- Temporarily.
- Once in a while; at intervals.
- The appropriate or urgent time:It's high time that you started working.
- In a reasonable length of time.
- When or before due.
- Quickly.
- Almost instantly; immediately.
- Before a time limit expires.
- Within an indefinite time; eventually:In time they came to accept the harsh facts.
- According to schedule; punctual or punctually.
- By paying in installments.
- Again and again; repeatedly.
- Again and again; repeatedly.
- A highly pleasurable experience:We had the time of our lives at the beach.
- An interval with nothing to do.
- There was once a time:
- a phrase used to convey that something that has happened was overdue
- up-to-date, as in ideas, fashions, etc.; modern
- informed about current matters
- in an effort to finish in a given time
- sooner than due; early
- often, regularly, or constantly
- simultaneously
- formerly
- simultaneously; in the same period
- nonetheless; however
- occasionally; sometimes
- out-of-date; old-fashioned
- late
- at intervals, as between other events or actions
- to serve a prison term
- for the present; temporarily
- at intervals; now and then
- to go too fast
- to prolong a situation until a desired occurrence can take place
- at the proper time
- in a creditably short time; quickly
- almost instantly; very quickly
- in the course of time; eventually
- before it is too late
- keeping the set rhythm, tempo, pace, etc.
- to register the elapsing of time or adhere to a meter in an accurate (or inaccurate, etc.) mannerA clock, drummer, etc. that keeps good time.
- to maintain a set rhythm, beat, tempo, etc.The drummers kept time for the marching band.
- to mark or note the elapsing of timeA referee assigned to keep time.
- to act or respond promptlyThe ambulance lost no time in getting here.
- to go too slow
- to let time go by without advancing one's objective
- to compensate for lost time by going faster
- to travel, work, etc. at a specified, esp. fast, rate of speedWe made (good) time between Boston and Albany.
- to succeed in attracting or having an affair with (a person)
- often; frequently
- to refuse to speak to or be polite to someone
- during time for which one is not paid; during other than working hours
- at the appointed time; punctual or punctually
- with the agreement that payment will be made in installments over a period of time
- not at the usual time; unseasonable
- not keeping the set rhythm, tempo, pace, etc.
- with all allotted or available time having elapsed
- to fill a span of time, as with some pleasant diversion
- to exchange a few words of greeting, etc.
- (have) an experience of great pleasure
- again and again; continually
- a proverb meaning that delay and inefficiency are equivalent to a monetary loss
- age (of a person)
- an interval with nothing to do
- there was a time
- a proverb meaning that some time will pass before an outcome or result is known or confirmed
Idioms and Phrasal Verbs
Origin of time
- Middle English from Old English tīma dā- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- From Middle English time, tyme, from Old English tÄ«ma (“time, period, space of time, season, lifetime, fixed time, favorable time, opportunity"), from Proto-Germanic *tÄ«mô (“time"), from Proto-Indo-European *dÄ«- (“time"). Cognate with Scots tym, tyme (“time"), Alemannic German Zimen, ZÄ«mmän (“time, time of the year, opportune time, opportunity"), Danish time (“stound, hour, lesson"), Swedish timme (“stound, hour"), Norwegian time (“time, stound, hour"), Faroese tími (“hour, lesson, time"), Icelandic tími (“time, season"). See also tide.
From Wiktionary